THE police officer who was suspended in connection to the missing $300k exhibit money had refused to talk with police officers during an interview.
Deputy Commissioner National Security and Operation Support Ian Vaevaso revealed this when asked by a reporter for an update on this investigation.
“Last week, the Police’s Professional Standards and Internal Investigation (PSII) interviewed the suspect and he did not want to talk,” Vaevaso said.
“That is his regal right.
“We rely very much on our evidence to progress this case,” Vaevaso added.
“Once that is completed, we will give the case to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) to review the evidence on file before proceeding on further with the matter.
In a previous conference, Police Commissioner Mostyn Mangau had told reporters that the officer manning the police exhibit facility at the Police Headquarters at Rove had been suspended after the money was discovered to be missing from the exhibit facility last October.
He said the officer is also on half-pay awaiting the outcome of the investigation.
Mangau had also told reporters that is complex but progressing very well.
More than $300k belonging to the money scheme, One Link Pacifica’s customers went missing from the Police Exhibit facility.
Police recovered the $336,891.20 after one of One Link Pacific’s directors was arrested last April.
The director escaped to South Malaita after he failed to pay One Link Pacifica’s customers who invested in the scheme.
It was alleged that the scheme’s customers invested more than $56 million but police had only recovered $336,891.20.
The money was kept at the exhibit facility at the Central Police Station before being transferred to the Exhibit Facility at the Police Headquarters.
By ASSUMPTA BUCHANAN BONGIDANI
Newsroom, Honiara
